Prayer to the Holy Spirit to become Kerygmatic Catechists

Dated January 25, 2026, Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul.

Many Catholics are unfamiliar with the Greek word, “kerygma.” By contrast, more Catholics are familiar with the Greek words, “Kyrie, eleison,” (Lord, have mercy.) because we hear them in Mass sometimes. However, “kerygma” was not brought straight from the New Testament into the Sacred Liturgy. Instead, it was translated as “preach” or “proclamation.” First as Karol Cardinal Wojtyla and, then, as Pope John Paul II, the word “kerygma” was re-introduced into Magisterial writings about evangelization and catechesis in the 20th Century.

This prayer is a poetic organization of the yearning near the end of Pope St. John Paul the Great’s first Apostolic Exhortation Catechesi Tradendae, 72. That great pope meditates upon the essential work of the Holy Spirit in the renewal of catechesis, and license is taken here to articulate that yearning in this prayer.

Some catechetical leaders open their gatherings with other catechists by praying this prayer together.

What you’ll receive (instant PDF download, US Letter, front and back):

• One card per page — ideal for professional printing
• Four cards per page — print at home and cut out
• Card size: approx. 3.7 × 4.25 in
• Unlimited downloads after purchase

Printing your cards

• At home: use the 4-cards-per-page file. Print double-sided (flip on long edge) at 100% / “Actual size” on cardstock, then cut along the crop marks.
• At a print shop: upload the file to FedEx Office or your local copy shop, choose cardstock and double-sided printing, and ask for the cards to be cut along the crop marks.
• Larger quantities: 4LPI prints full-color, double-sided prayer cards in custom sizes; send them the 1-card-per-page file.

The Catechetical Institute does not endorse any printing service; these are offered as options.

Free to share. Print as many cards as you need for your family, parish, or classroom. Donations to support the Catechetical Institute are welcome at give.franciscanathome.com.

Prayer by Dr. Mark Ginter. © Gardener’s Servant Productions. Offered with permission.